


Seaweed Soup

by seiyuna



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bodyswap, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-06 09:17:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8744275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seiyuna/pseuds/seiyuna
Summary: Seunggil lives in a world where people swap bodies with their soulmates once they become of age. On Seunggil’s 21st birthday, he experiences what it’s like to be at the top of the world for once.





	1. Chapter 1

June 5th had arrived, marking the anticipation of summer with singing cicadas and mid-day heat. Both the Four Continents and World Figure Skating Championships had passed months ago like a fleeting dream. Seunggil had redeemed himself then and was still known to be Korea’s pride. 

As it was off-season, although he still had training, Seunggil did not have to concern himself with reporters or his fellow skaters invading his space. Rather, he had more time at home and was now putting on an apron and helping his mother with preparing dinner. Skating was his life, but the past year had allowed him to learn about taking care of himself. It was nice to just be able to take his time and watch his favorite movie and walk his dog and eat his mother's cooking.

“You’re going to be 21 tomorrow,” his mother said fondly. “I’ll wake up early to make seaweed soup for you.”

Seunggil gagged on the inside but smiled wryly. Needless to say, he hated all kinds of vegetables in all forms and this was no exception. He was more or less forced to eat it every year at home on his birthday.

 “Oh, but this year,” she said, “you won’t be with us. Are you ready for your switch?”

Seunggil had abandoned the idea of his soulmate in the back of his mind for many years. When a person turned 21, they switched bodies with their soulmate and were given a chance to find out about who they were. They were typically able to switch back once they met each other. Soulmates were supposedly destined to love each other and be together for the rest of their lives. 

“I don’t want a soulmate,” Seunggil admitted quietly. This meant that his soulmate was younger than him since he never experienced any sort of switching in the past. He resumed stirring the noodles in the pot, trying not to think too much about it. In honesty, he was worried about the process. He wasn’t certain of how he felt about a stranger inhabiting his body. What if they weren’t as great as his mother expected? What if they caused his parents trouble?

“Seunggil, I’m sure that they’ll be wonderful,” his mother reassured, to which he shrugged. His parents had told him countless times about the story of how they met and how lucky they were to have been both from Korea. His father had taken a bus from the countryside to get to the city and meet his mother.

Seunggil never cared about romantic love and had never been in a relationship before. It was evident that his parents would be happy if he had met someone. He knew of platonic love for his dog and familial love for his parents but outside of that, he cared nothing for a love for his soulmate. No one truly sought out their soulmate in this day and age; rather, everyone left it up for fate to decide on that day.

There was a possibility that his soulmate was no longer living or there was a chance he wouldn’t even have a soulmate. Seunggil didn’t cling too much on those ideas. If there was an issue with the switch, he had already planned beforehand and was prepared to be able to locate his soulmate’s identify. Being bilingual should be an asset to him during the event.

 

* * *

 

When June 6th came, Seunggil awoke to sunlight filtering from the blinds – which was strange, since he always got up before sunrise to fulfill his morning routine. The last time he slept in was over a year ago, on that day after he didn’t place in the Grand Prix Final. He grabbed at the sheets, wondering where his dog was. He would usually be nestled next to him while sleeping. Accepting that his beloved pet wasn’t here, he rubbed at his eyes and tried to dispel the grogginess.

Seunggil sat up in the bed and found that the room was larger than his. He was clearly not in his own body, as he felt less light and whoever this was had muscles. He grimaced at how messy the room was, with clothes and shoes thrown haphazardly over the floor and chair. Organization and simplicity were familiar to him; chaos was not. There was a large trophy case that stood next to a study desk with framed photographs and certificates of achievements. A full-length mirror was placed in the corner of the room. Outside of the window, he saw trees.

Immediately, he turned to the wall he leaned on. At that moment, the world fell out of focus and he couldn’t breathe.

There were dozens of posters and photos of the person he wanted to see least. He wished that he didn’t know that face, didn’t know that person, but he knew him well. This room had unmistakably belonged to his most arrogant and infuriating competitor.

That goddamn prick Jean-Jacques Leroy was his soulmate. 

This seemed to be his actual bedroom so that meant Seunggil was in Canada right now. He wanted to cry. It was as if fate planned to deny him everything that was important in his life. 

No, he wouldn’t cry. He was stronger than this and he had to have some say in this. He knew he was only frustrated because he had never been able to place higher than JJ in any competition with his risky and high-scoring programs. He acknowledged that. Not only had JJ won gold countless times, he held several world records and was considered to be one of the best figure skaters following Victor Nikiforov's retirement. In truth, Seunggil was jealous of JJ as he had that insufferable perfect record to back up his big talk. He didn't aspire to be like JJ; however, he wanted to be better than him and crush his record. 

It was just difficult as all of his effort was never able to let him defeat JJ for once. Seunggil swallowed down the bitterness that burned in his throat and tossed off the comforter. He stood up to examine everything more closely. The room and its decor were as personable as he expected, in stark contrast to Seunggil’s own room. The amount of books that JJ had was unexpected, as several splayed out on its desk and there was a neat collection next to the trophy case. There were notebooks with cursive writing in both French and English and illustrations presumably of choreography and fashion designs.

He caught his – JJ’s – reflection in the mirror and took in shorter hair, tanned skin, and eyes the color of waves before a storm. Avoiding looking at himself, Seunggil grudgingly admired the trophies and gold medals.

Seunggil finally found JJ’s cell phone after searching through the room and piles of clothes on the floor. He needed to work something out with JJ as soon as possible, just to give himself some peace of mind. He didn’t want to be here. He wanted to be in the comfort of his home in Korea, with his dog and parents and having seaweed soup on his birthday. After pressing the home button, a photo of JJ and a girl appeared.

So he had a girlfriend. She could be considered conventionally pretty, with dark bobbed hair, fair skin, and red lipstick. Seunggil snorted at how she wore a necklace with JJ’s initials. Perhaps those two were made for each other.

Dating outside of one’s soulmate wasn’t uncommon but Seunggil still frowned at the image. It’s not like he wanted to be with JJ regardless. If JJ already had someone he loved, then that was all the better for him. They didn’t need to accept what fate presented them and after all, he wasn’t a protagonist in one of those romance dramas that his mother liked to watch.

Surprisingly, the phone was unlocked. Seunggil was not sure whether to be thankful or concerned. JJ could have important information or photos that could be leaked if the phone fell into the wrong person’s hands. The thought of what seemed to be a semblance of worry for his competitor made him scoff. Seunggil could be petty but not petty enough to destroy JJ’s career. 

He dialed his own number and waited impatiently for the call to be picked up. When it went to voicemail, he glared at the offending screen and tried to call again but to no avail, as he only heard the familiar beep. On the failed tenth call, he slammed JJ’s phone against the wall and seethed.

“Fucking hell.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that I am going by Seunggil’s international age and not Korean age. In South Korea, people typically have seaweed soup if they are pregnant, postpartum, or on their birthday. It's also consumed as a regular dish.
> 
> I really shouldn't be writing this since I have exams, so my updates will come later in the month. Please feel free to message me on my tumblr @seiyuna if you have prompts or just want to talk about JJseung! I love this ship so much!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

He sunk down to the floor, sitting with his knees drawn up and his head buried in his arms. Exhaling a deep breath, he reminded himself to calm down again. The last time he felt this lost and helpless was when he had walked away from the Kiss and Cry at the Rostelecom Cup in tears. His face was blank, yet the frustration and anxiety under his calm facade threatened to overtake him. At the locker room, Seunggil had curled up in the same position, trembling in a corner of the room.

Seunggil remembered being the only one in the room until the creak of the door penetrated the silence. Footsteps had approached him, only halting when they were right in front of him. Then, a plush towel had draped over Seunggil and the sudden contact made him shudder.

When he peered up, the figure already had his back turned, a red Canada national jacket tossed over his shoulder. That action had irritated him even more. Seunggil didn’t need pity, especially from him of all people.

_I am ice_ , Seunggil told himself. _Ice and nothing more_ , and he found that the thought was fairly comforting. He took several deep breaths until his chest rose and fell steadily and his breaths evened out inaudibly. Shaking off the memory, he reached for JJ’s phone, expecting that it was broken. Carefully avoiding the cracks on the screen, he was able to compose a message and send it.

**You:** _Call me when you see this._

If it was morning here, then it was nighttime in Korea. He doubted that his parents or coach would pick up his call during the current time. The most pressing issue for Seunggil was that he was uncertain whether JJ was asleep or he died while in Seunggil’s body. That wasn’t a pleasant thought.

In the meantime, he could call Phichit. There were only about five people in his contact list anyway and he had memorized all of their numbers. Meanwhile, JJ had hundreds of contacts, one of which he wasn’t surprised to find was Phichit. As his thumb lingered over the call button, the bedroom door swung wide open.

Seunggil’s eyes widened slightly. A teenage girl crossed her arms and leaned on the door frame. She was dressed in a practice suit and her red hair was pulled up into a ponytail.

“Jean,” she lamented. She only said one word and her shrill voice already had an effect on Seunggil. “You said you’d help me with my quads today! It’s almost noon.”

“I said that,” Seunggil repeated, his tone flat. He coughed, not used to speaking and hearing JJ’s voice come out from his lips.

“You sure did,” came a calmer voice, from a boy this time. He peered into the room next to the girl. “Mom and Dad are gone for the weekend so you were going to help us practice today.”

Seunggil vaguely recalled that JJ was from a family of decorated figure skaters. He didn’t think that he could deal with two more JJs. “Look, kids,” he began to say, combing through his hair with his fingers. Despite the shorter length, he found that his hair was soft. “I’m not feeling so well today.”  

“You’re lying,” the little witch sneered. She stepped into the room and placed her hands on her hips, looking at him straight in the eye. Her eyes were clear blue, just like JJ’s own. “You never get sick and you were just on a date last night!”

If only they knew. He should come clean, tell them what’s going on, but he bit back a snarky comment. She held her glare until moments had passed and Seunggil did not respond.

“You should keep your promises,” she mumbled in a quieter tone, averting her eyes. “You said that I’ll become as good as Yuna if I keep on practicing.”

Hearing her name piqued Seunggil’s interest. He then remembered how famous the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club was. The place was only recognizable to him not because it was where JJ trained, but it was where Kim Yuna rose to excellence when she was younger.

His curiosity got the better of himself and the words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop. “I got it. Just go and let me get ready first.”

“Remember to clean up,” she said, pointing towards the mess in the room.

When they closed the door and left, he swore at how he conceded so easily. The concept of being in JJ’s body was disturbing enough, and the thought of pretending to be him made him feel sick. JJ was loud and flashy; Seunggil could barely keep a conversation going. They were nothing alike and there was no way he would be able to pull it off without someone catching on.

He opened the wardrobe and didn’t know where to begin. It shouldn’t have been that difficult to coordinate an outfit. Yet, he acknowledged that it would certainly be easier if he did not have so much trouble accepting the reflection in the mirror as his. As he was alone in the room, everything overwhelmed him. Even the slow thumps of his heartbeat felt alien.

After getting dressed and finding JJ’s skates, Seunggil couldn’t shake off the feeling that he was wearing someone else’s skin.

 

* * *

  

On the rink, Seunggil had his head held high and exuded a quiet grace unseen before. The other skaters would peer at him from the corner of their eyes. He wondered if he would look out of place without JJ’s bold personality.

Seunggil possessed no teaching ability whatsoever but he looked out for the kids and coached them to the best of his ability. His technical aptitude was not to be challenged. Every weakness or mistake did not escape his eyes and he pointed them out to them albeit in a more mild manner than his usual speech.

Yet, when Seunggil went in position to demonstrate a jump, he suddenly slipped. His knees met the ice and he fell over with a hiss. Quickly recovering from a jump was routine for him, yet he came to realize that he wasn’t able to get his limbs and muscles to move the way he wanted them to.

The two siblings glided to where Seunggil was, trying to hold him up. The ice was cool against his palms. JJ’s body had retained his years of training but Seunggil couldn’t bring himself to mimic his skating. His mind and JJ’s body only opposed one another.

“Jean! What’s wrong?” the boy asked with a frown. Seunggil avoided his questioning gaze and dusted off his pants, not letting any emotion slip past his face.

“I’m not feeling too great,” he repeated as he skated past them. He didn’t want to try again in front of everyone if he was not at his best. “Continue with practice. I’m going to make a phone call.”

This was a bad idea after all. Seunggil must have been out of his mind to have gone along with this. Skating in this body had been more intimate than expected and even more prone to unfortunate outcomes. In the locker room, he took a seat at the bench.

He needed to talk to Phichit. Then, the phone in his pocket began to vibrate and the screen flashed with what he recognized as his own number. It was his second time being interrupted today but he still answered the call desperately.

“Hey babe,” JJ said with a drawl. “Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. Miss me?”

“Do _not_ call me that.” Seunggil nearly gagged at the pet name. JJ’s laugh was obscured in static, but he could still make out his condescension. “Where have you been?”

“I went fishing with your parents and wow, the reception here is terrible. Let me send you a pic–”

Seunggil’s parents never took him fishing and he frowned at the thought. How did JJ and his parents even communicate since they didn’t know English?

“Forget that. We need to talk. Now,” Seunggil demanded in a carefully controlled tone. “Get over here so we can switch back. I’ll even pay for your flight ticket.”

“I don’t know about that,” JJ challenged in a sing-song voice. “That’s not fun since we already know each other. Besides, I want to learn more about my soulmate, or should I say, _seoul_ mate.”

He scoffed and reminded him, “you have a girlfriend and you and I both know that we need to continue training.”

JJ deliberately ignored him. “How are things over there?” he asked with a laugh, “by the way, your parents are the best. Why are you so different from them?”

“A disaster. I’ve been babysitting your brother and sister and we’re at the rink right now,” Seunggil explained calmly. He was not above begging for JJ to fly over here.

“Are they giving you a hard time?”

“No,” he answered quietly. “It’s just that in a way I’ve been, for the lack of a better word – pretending – to be you.”

Seunggil didn’t know what he was expecting, but JJ’s reaction wasn’t it. On the end of the phone line, JJ erupted in laughter.

“We are nothing alike,” Seunggil pointed out. He was willing to accommodate JJ’s typical behavior and act like him, but JJ didn’t deserve that. “So come here as soon as you can.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll book my flight tonight under one condition though,” JJ proposed. Seunggil didn’t like where this was going. 

JJ asked, “will you give me a chance to get to know you better when we switch back?”

Seunggil regarded him in silence and clenched and unclenched his jaw. He wanted no more of JJ after this but it seemed that JJ thought differently.

“Alright,” Seunggil replied, as if it cost him a lot to say that one word. “Text me your flight schedule later.”

He hung up but received a text notification immediately after. JJ had sent him the photo with him making his JJ pose with his parents and a lake in the background. Everything looked exactly as it should be except for that ridiculous hand sign and idiotic grin plastered on his face. Seunggil wasn’t sure whether to be impressed that he got along with his parents or just immensely jealous.

Seunggil tore away from the photo and put the phone away, exiting the locker room.

 

* * *

 

Someone came running towards him with a clipboard. Wonderful, it was another girl.

“JJ!” she exclaimed, and Seunggil found it difficult not to cringe and correct her. He did his best to accept the greeting with JJ’s cheerful manner. “I thought today was your day off.”

There was an extended pause between them. When she smiled, a light blush dusting her cheeks, Seunggil was reminded of the photo on JJ’s lock screen. She was his blasted girlfriend and he didn’t even know her name.

“Oh. Right,” he replied and signaled towards the rink. “My parents are out for the day so I’m just coaching the kids.” 

As if on cue, the siblings stopped in front of them and waved. “Suji!” 

“Hi Cerise. Hey Claude!” She gave a small wave back. It turned out that JJ’s girlfriend shared the same first name as this celebrity, Suzy, that Phichit was enamored with. If Suzy was known as Korea’s first love, then Seunggil followed as Korea’s ice prince, Yuna’s successor, and other strange but endearing titles. That would be easy to remember and he also made a mental note of the siblings’ names.

“Should we all get lunch?” Suji looked at her watch. “It’s been so long since I saw those two and I get off my shift in 15 minutes.”

“Can we?” they asked in unison and Seunggil could only nod dumbly.

As the kids ran off to the locker room, Suji looked at him expectedly and leaned in. Oh fuck no. She wanted a kiss? Over his dead body. Seunggil turned away and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

She simply gave him a smile and returned to her work. In the short time he had alone, Seunggil conducted a quick Google search. The feel was all too familiar as it was as if he only had a few minutes before a test and had to cram a multitude of information into his brain. According to Wikipedia, Cerise and Claude Leroy were junior figure skaters. Several gossip articles on JJ’s relationship with Suji were littered among the reports on his skating and he clicked one of the links from over a year ago.

**Top of the figure skating world Jean-Jacques Leroy finds love with university student Suji Song at the** **Cricket Club.**

Yahoo! Sports Canada

20 November, 2013 3:05 PM

_Where Leroy trains, Song works as a group fitness instructor. The 20-year-old Korean-Canadian studies_ _biology at the University of Toronto and plans to_ _pursue graduate education in sports medicine_ — _Leroy_ _remarks that while Song was not his first love, she was going to be his last_ —

Seunggil skimmed over some of the photos and closed the tab.

 

* * *

 

He was expecting that lunch would be a simple affair. They had walked over to Suji’s family-owned restaurant. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious about how Korean food was in Toronto.

“Mom,” she called out cheerfully, “JJ, Cerise, and Claude are here.”

Her mother was at the register and Seunggil took her hands and addressed her respectfully.

Phrases in Korean like _Suji’s boyfriend is here_ and _she brought his family over_ were heard from the kitchen. Her father came out to the front to see them as well since it had apparently been a while since he met them. The corner of Seunggil’s mouth twitched, almost into a smile because at that moment, he missed his parents.

When Seunggil ordered for them, her parents’ eyes kept darting from him to her and they had no idea how to react. He was wondering if he said anything wrong until he realized, his native Korean had slipped out.

He turned to Suji and even her eyes were wide. She covered her mouth in shock.

“I – I, well,” Seunggil began to say. He had to make up an excuse.

“Oh, JJ,” she said, stepping into his space and wrapped her arms around him. Seunggil cringed. She looked up at him and happiness bloomed on her face. “You’ve been learning Korean for us? You’re so thoughtful.”

There was his excuse. He lied through his teeth and made the best JJ impression he could. “You know, babe,” he said, nearly shuddering when he called her that, “it’s important for me to connect with you and your family.”

She and her parents were touched.

At the table, the kids did most of the talking while Seunggil pretended to be occupied on his phone. Seunggil noted the differences in personality between Cerise and Claude. Cerise watched him critically in between speaking and the heavy weight of her perception settled down on him. Meanwhile, Claude was more meek and his gaze moved awkwardly from person to person the whole time.

Suji sat next to him and he smiled and nodded at whatever she said. His posture was stiff and impeccably straight and he hardly touched the food in front of him after that slip.

So, Seunggil reached for Suji’s hand and interlaced his fingers with her. This should keep them at bay until they caught on, with Seunggil’s obvious blunders in character.

At the end of the day, he was a nervous wreck but at least nobody had called him out yet.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that Kim Yuna is a world-reknowed Korean figure skater. She is often referred to as Queen Yuna. Additionally, the name Suji is a reference to Bae Suji, also known as Suzy from the girl group Miss A.
> 
> I truly shouldn't be writing this. I have to focus on my exams now so talk to you guys later! Please leave a comment if you want!
> 
> I actually do not like OCs at all but I had to give them names since they were essential for the chapter. I'm interested in exploring their family dynamics. I can't wait for JJ to return so I can finally write more of him!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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